Rongbuk Monastery

Rongbuk is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect in Basum Township, Dingri County, Shigatse Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China.

Rongbuk monastery lies by the foot of the Rongbuk Glacier at 5,100 meters above sea level, it is the highest monastery in the world. It is only 200 meters lower than the north side Everest Base Camp of Mount Everest.

It houses Lamas and nuns in the same monastery. Sakyamuni and Padmasambhava are enshrined in the small temple. Pilgrims trek a long way to pay votive offerings or see lamas playing operas during big Buddhist days.

Climbers must pass through Rongbuk in order to reach the highest peak of Mount Everest via the North Face. It has been described as having some of the most dramatic views in the world, presenting a panorama of the Shishapangma, Mount Everest, and Gyachung Kang peaks to visitors.

The Rongbuk Monastery itself was founded in 1902 by a Nyingmapa Lama in an area of meditation huts that had been in use by monks and hermits for over 400 years. Hermitage meditation caves dot the cliff walls all around the monastery complex and up and down the valley. Many walls and stones, carved with sacred syllables and prayers, line the paths.

In previous times, the Monastery became very active with the teachings at certain times of the year. It was, and is, the destination of special Buddhist pilgrimages where annual ceremonies are held for spectators coming from as far as Nepal and Mongolia. These ceremonies were shared with the satellite monasteries across the Himalaya also founded by the Rongbuk Lama.

Since 1983 renovation works have been carried out and some of the new murals are reportedly excellent. There is a basic guesthouse and small but cosy restaurant.

There is a hostel in Rongbuk with100 beds, a dinning room and a store, where tourists and mountaineers may have cooked food and instant food, even beer. 300 meters south of the monastery is the famous Rongbuk Glacier. A distance of 10 kilometers lies between the monastery and Everest Base Camp.